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SCUTTLEBUTT 1843 - May 20, 2005
Scuttlebutt is a digest of major yacht racing news, commentary, opinions,
features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Corrections,
contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting
viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing, whining and personal
attacks for elsewhere.
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT - Ben Ainslie
There has been a fair amount of reaction to the news that I am not going to
be part of Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) for the America's Cup regattas
this summer being held in Spain, Sweden and Italy. Some of the coverage has
been pretty negative, implying that I am unhappy at ETNZ and some has even
hinted that my career as a sailor may have seen its best days. his is a
great opportunity to set the record straight and to underline that I am
very happy with the way things are going for me. When I joined ETNZ last
year, Dean Barker was the skipper and helmsman and that is still the case.
I was originally employed with a dual role of B boat helmsman, sharing that
duty with Kelvin Harrap, and strategist on the A boat, the job I did last
year at the Valencia America's Cup regatta.
After the summer of testing in Auckland during this past European winter,
where I spent half of the time helming the B boat, we decided as a
syndicate that it was best for us to have a clearly defined race team as
early as possible to enable that group of sailors to become as close a unit
as we could. Then came the hard part for me personally. Should I focus on
the role of strategist on the A boat or take the chance to continue helming
the second boat and learn the role which I have always dreamt of doing? In
the end it was actually a very easy decision, as I knew what I wanted. It
will be hard not being on the race boat but the afterguard of ETNZ is very
strong. Ray Davies will be the strategist on the A boat. Ray and I sail
together on the match-racing circuit. He's a brilliant sailor and will
complement really well Dean, Terry Hutchinson as tactician, Kevin Hall as
navigator and Adam Beashel on traveler.
There is no bitterness about my situation. Dean is without doubt the right
guy to helm the boat. He recently won the Congressional Cup match-racing
event, beating Russell Coutts, his mentor and the most successful Cup
sailor ever, and he is at the top of his game. This is still a fantastic
opportunity for me and, if I am able to get to Dean's level, there will be
plenty of options in the future. - Ben Ainslie, Times Online, full story:
www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4041-1618118,00.html
FINAL PREPARATIONS
All 20 yachts competing in Saturday's Rolex Transatlantic Challenge are now
docked in New York, most moored alongside the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space
Museum aboard the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Intrepid. Several
other of the larger vessels competing, such as Robert Miller's Mari Cha IV,
Windrose, Drumbeat and the massive square rigger Stad Amsterdam, have had
to find berthing elsewhere along Manhattan's western shore due to their
sheer size.
Crews are making their final preparations with less than 48 hours left
before the start of the race, which takes them across the North Atlantic to
the Lizard and on to the Needles, Isle of Wight. Many of the Grand Prix
division yachts and the more competitive entrants within the Performance
Cruising division have been out on the Hudson River testing new sails. For
line honors favorite Mari-Cha IV, the transatlantic passage record holder,
this is the first occasion many of her crew have sailed her since she was
fitted with new daggerboards, said to dramatically transform her upwind
performance.
On the more luxurious yachts in the Performance Cruising class, a different
style of final arrangements has been underway. On Whisper, the 115-foot
(35.4m) yacht of Minneapolis-based investor John "Hap" Fauth, two cooks
have been pre-preparing meals for 24 people for 20 days. Much furniture has
been taken off, art has been removed from the walls, and sculpture has been
bound in bubble wrap to prevent it from getting damaged on the nearly 3,000
nautical mile crossing.
Technical and Compliance committee chair David Tunick and his team are
scrutinizing the 20 competing yachts. This has proved far from easy, as the
boats must comply with different rules if they wish to compete for
different records. For example, boats competing in the Rolex Transatlantic
Challenge have the opportunity to make an attempt on the record of 12 days
4 hours 1 minute and 19 seconds set by Charlie Barr and Atlantic in 1905.
These boats have one set of safety requirements and must disengage their
powered winches. Mari-Cha IV and Maximus both intend to make an attempt on
the west to east outright monohull passage record across the North Atlantic
and must comply with additional rules.
Of concern to the crews is the sudden change in the forecast for the start.
Far from being a benign, light upwind start, it is currently predicted that
an intense localized depression will form just 200 miles to the southeast
of Long Island. If this forecast proves correct, then the competitors will
be faced with 40-50 knot headwinds from the northeast. Fortunately, the
depression is set to continue moving north on the day of the start,
providing the boats with 35-knot running conditions 24 hours into the race.
Media Pro Int'l, www.transatlanticchallenge.org
Curmudgeon's Comments: Assuming good weather, Onne van der Wal will be
documenting the race start on Saturday from a helicopter. We plan to post
those exclusive images in the Scuttlebutt gallery on Sunday evening:
www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/
BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL
In the past three months there have been over 300 applications made for IRC
ratings in the USA. Over 240 certificates have been processed with new
applications arriving at about 15-25 per week. There is always a "float"
of about 60 applications pending the arrival of final data, such as
overhangs, sail dimensions, and weighing (when necessary). US Sailing and
the IRC office in the UK can turn around completed applications within a
week. In order to assist yacht owners who plan on entering Storm Trysail
events such as the Block Island Distance Race May 27, and Block Island Race
Week June 19-25, a "Hotline" has been established: Barry Carroll at the US
IRC office - 401-816-0421 email: info@us-irc.org; Tripp Estabrook at US
Sailing - 401-683-0800 email: trippestabrook@ussailing.org
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MULTIHULLS
(The Daily Sail subscription website spoke with Russell Coutts about his
sailing program for 2005 and about his newfound interest in multihulls
-specifically the Decision 35 he's sailing in Switzerland. Here's a brief
excerpt from that story.)
Coutts believes more Farr 40-type owners should look at this class. "I
haven't had more fun in a while, because you are roaring around the place
in light winds. In Europe, whether it is monohulls or multihulls, that is
one of the ways to go - to make the boats powerful enough so that they can
sail well in light air. We do a lot of sailing in light winds and you can
always reduce sail: You could have two difference size mainsails or you
could reef, but at least have the boat so that it is fun to sail in 6-7
knots of breeze," he says. These are not only the typical wind strengths
you find sailing in the Mediterranean, but also in a lot of places around
the States.
"I wonder how many other people would enjoy it: instead of cruising around
the course at 7 or 8 knots, if you were doing 12," Coutts ponders. "I
remember Tom Blackaller when he got into the Formula 40s, he was saying
similar things. I don't think it is for everyone, but I would like to
encourage more people to give it a shot". On his Decision 35 he is the only
pro sailor. He adds that in a breeze the boats would be a handful for even
a group of seasoned pros to get around the course. "My learning curve was
as about at steep as Mont Blanc," he muses. - The Daily Sail,
www.thedailysail.com
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine)
Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar
ROCKY ROAD
It can be a rocky road getting a boat to the start of the Cadillac Van Isle
360 International Yacht Race, now less than a month away. No one knows this
better than the skipper and crew of the 48 ft. Beneteau First 47.7,
Kinetic, an entry in this year's race, which ran aground a few weeks ago
sustaining considerable damage. Kinetic was being delivered back to her
homeport in Vancouver, B.C. after racing in Seattle, when she struck
Enterprise Reef near Active Pass. The boat was powering at 8 knots under
the command of a delivery skipper. It is unknown if the helmsman was
injured, though the stainless steel wheel was bent. "It was the first time
that I ever hired a delivery skipper", stated David Sutcliffe, Kinetic's
owner. "He came highly recommended by people I respect. When he told me
that they'd had a hard grounding during what was supposed to be a
straightforward delivery, I simply couldn't believe it."
The boat sustained considerable damage and was slowly taking on water.
Repairs required removing most of the interior in the main cabin to expose
delaminated structural grids in the bilge and straightening and re-fairing
the 8,377 pound lead keel. "When the extent of the damage became apparent,
our racing program, including the Cadillac Van Isle 360, was thrown into
doubt", stated Sutcliffe. However, Phil O'Donoghue of Fraser Fibreglass
Ltd. in North Vancouver has a full team working on the boat day and night
and has assured them the boat will be ready. "We have a date with the start
line on June 11, and we'll be there ... with a bone in our teeth," quipped
Sutcliffe. The Cadillac Van Isle 360, which races around Vancouver Island,
has been sold out since January. The event runs June 11 to 26.
www.vanisle360.com
NEWS BRIEFS
* Big, fast and in your face is the prospect as 17 world-class sailboats -
48 to 90 feet - clash this weekend in the inaugural First Team Real Estate
Invitational Regatta organized by the Balboa and Newport Harbor Yacht
Clubs. The fleet includes Randall Pittman's 90-foot Genuine Risk and Roy
Disney's 86-foot Pyewacket, Magnitude 80, Ragtime, plus four ULDB 70s and
three Transpac 52s. A temporary dock has been built inside the entrance to
Newport Bay to accommodate boats with drafts too deep for normal mooring.
The start-finish line will be set within shouting distance of the Newport
Pier. www.firstteamregatta.com/
* Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Swiss watch company Montres Corum
Sàrl., will be the title sponsor of the World Championship of the
International Melges 24 Class to be sailed off Key Largo, Fla., in
December. The 2005 Corum Melges 24 World Championship at Ocean Reef Club,
December 11-17, is expected to attract a field of 80 or more boats from the
USA and around the world. The high caliber fleet will include America's Cup
sailors and Olympic medalists plus world champions from multiple
international classes. - www.vacationsatoceanreef.com
* The 29er has been chosen as the 2-handed boys and girls boat for the ISAF
Youth World Championships 2007. They will take place in San Diego USA. US
Sailing endorsed the San Diego choice at their spring meeting and this
decision was forwarded to the ISAF Events Committee who in turn approved it
at the ISAF Mid-year meetings in Stockholm.
* The World Sailing Speed Record Council has received a claim for a new
singlehanded Around Britain and Ireland record. Jean Luc Van Den Heede in
Adrien, 85 ft monohull, claims 7 days 7 hours 57 minutes. The current
singlehanded record is held by Michel Kleinjans BEL in 11d 12h 26m 48s. For
interest, the crewed monohull record is held by J.P. Chomette (currently
claiming the Round Ireland record) in 7d 4h 46m 22s.
* Celebrations have been taking place across the Global Challenge fleet as
each team crosses their outbound track. The first to cross was Spirit of
Sark. "This is the big one and we've done it," wrote Rachel Morgan today.
"A lap of the planet, 360°, circumnavigation, 25,250nm the wrong way." The
threat of unreliable conditions will hang over the fleet for the next 12
hours or so. SAIC La Jolla is presently in a virtual dead heat with BG
Spirit at the head of the fleet with BP Explorer only 11 miles back.
www.globalchallenge2004.com/en
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LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON
(Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be
edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a
bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best
shot and don't whine if others disagree.)
* From John Harwood-Bee: There is a much more simple explanation for the
absence of Britain from the AC 2007 than that suggested in the article
(Scutt 1842.) As a nation Britain has little to prove in sailing or
seafaring. She also enjoys a reputation for sportsmanship and fair play
which is the envy of the civilised world. So why spend up to $100m to enter
an event in which those attributes are the last thing to be considered.
With all the court action, tactical contractual manouevering, slanging
matches and manipulation I for one consider Britain well out of it.
* From Michael de Angeli (Re Jerry Goodin's comments that LNG tankers would
only pass through Narragansett Bay at night or in winter): I wish he were
correct, but he's not. The applicants have made it clear that they intend
to traverse the Bay at high tide (although it would make more sense to do
so on the flood, of course). That can happen at any time, which is why the
exclusion zones will be so damaging to all form of boating. Cruise ships,
superyachts, and big regattas will all go elsewhere rather than have their
schedules unpredictably impeded by these tankers (up to 20 - 25 passages
per month). It is not hard to see that Newport will be destroyed as a
yachting center, and the entire Rhode Island economy heavily damaged by the
multiplier effect, extending through the restaurant and hotel business, the
marine trades and marinas, the real estate market, and so on.
Richard Clarke's report assessing the dangers presented concludes that the
exclusion zones will be ineffective in preventing terrorist attack, so the
damage to Newport will be pointless as well as extremely painful. It's not
NIMBYism to object to something so clearly ill-conceived.
* From Steve Eller: There is another important factor regarding LNG
terminals that everyone should keep in mind - in order to convert the
Liquefied Natural Gas back to regular natural gas, the energy companies use
massive amounts of sea water to "heat" the LNG back to the correct
temperature. These reheating systems can be "closed" systems that use the
same sea water over and over or "open" system that run seawater through the
system once and then discharge it back to the ocean. Groups such as the
Coastal Conservation Association (http://www.joincca.org/) are lobbying
very hard against the open systems as the intakes and exhaust reek havoc
with the marine environment. All in all, the creation of LNG terminals
along shorelines across America is not a good development for recreational
users of these waters.
* From Michael H. Koster: When budgeting for an IRC program, don't forget
to build in costs to optimize your boat for IRC. One thing I have noticed
this year as a member of the Narragansett Bay PHRF Committee, there is an
increase in the number of boats reporting modifications on their renewal
certificates. Why? Optimizing for IRC. Included in the list are
modifications to the keel, which most likely costs much more than an
endorsed IRC certificate, and adding lead weight over the keel.
* From Chris Bouzaid: I believe it is a real achievement that Barry Carroll
and his team have managed to introduce IRC into the US. This is no mean
feat, I know, I tried three years ago and I met opposition everywhere I
went. (Why should we look at a rule from Europe, what do they know about
racing in the US). Who cares where the rule came from, it is the best rule,
by far, at the present time. For those who have had to deal with the
"Regional" PHRF committees it is a refreshing change. Good work to Barry
and his team, this is a positive move for the sport we love, and let's hope
everyone gets behind this movement.
* From Dave Krotseng: All hail IRC? Not so fast. It seems every five years
or so a 'better' measurement system comes along. True, a measurement system
is a better description of a boats potential performance. The trouble is
measurements can be tweaked. IRC has a secret formula? For how long? The
majority of racing sailors would like to see a working measurement system.
The majority of racing sailors do not change boats/formats every five years
just for the latest and greatest measurement system. If IRC works great! I
think I'll give it a year or so to see if it's still around.
* From Tim Kent: I loved the quote from Dan Jenkins' new novel in
yesterday's 'Butt. I do a bit of corporate speaking about the lessons I
took away from the Around Alone race, and the clearest lesson is just that
- how you deal with bad breaks is the key to success. It doesn't matter if
you are in a sales call, approaching a crowded mark, dealing with a
customer, or contemplating a missing headstay in the Southern Ocean
thousands of miles from a rigging shop - the bad breaks are going to
come. There are a myriad of techniques that work, but behind it all is
planning and preparation. If you know what the key issues are in your
sales situation, or the rules as you approach on port tack, or the needs of
that customer, or how much spectra line you have lying around when the
headstay is gone, you are most of the way toward solving your problem.
Sailing offers better analogies than any sport to the shifts, lifts, tacks
and general unpredictability of our land-based lives. I have really
enjoyed the opportunities I have had to share these perspectives with
businesspeople who never have and never will sail - they nevertheless
understand perfectly the lessons I have learned and how they can use them
to shape their lives. And most of it has to do with keeping your head in
the boat when the bad breaks come.
* From Adrian Morgan: Scuttlebutt is edging closer to committing the
cardinal sin of any media: it's getting boring. Not so much the news, but
the views which consist largely of owners complaining about or defending
various rating rules or handicaps, and obsessive navel gazing. If not the
recent and interminable "my Optimist is better than your Sabot" debate, or
latterly the soul-searching about why the USA did so badly at the last
Olympics or some obscure interpretation of the racing rules it's something
equally parochial about tankers in Newport. Come to think of it, that's not
a bad spread of opinions for a US-centric newsletter. Maybe I'll rephrase
my opening sentence.
CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Once you're done
criticizing, they'll be shoeless and you'll already be a mile away.
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